November 1915
Butterfly Mansion
A few years ago, during the sixth month of the Taisho Era, a twelve-year-old boy named Naruto Uzumaki came to Mount Kumotori where he was taken in by the Kamado family who lived upon the mountain and sold the charcoal that they made in the nearby town of Okutama. The strange boy had been on the run from someone who had wanted to kill him for certain reasons that were completely out of his control, and he greatly appreciated the hospitality that they showed to him.
Unfortunately, only a week into his stay with the Kamado family, a terrible tragedy struck them.
A certain man-eating monster who the survivors later learned to be a demon (but it had not been just any demon, it had been the original demon, Muzan Kibutsuji) attacked while the eldest of the six Kamado children, a thirteen-year-old by named Tanjirō, had been in town selling charcoal like he did once a week. Making and selling charcoal was just how the Kamado family made a living.
Regardless...only two survived the massacre...Naruto and the second eldest of the six Kamado children, a twelve-year-old girl named Nezuko who was turned into a demon. However, she was not like other demons, refusing to attack humans. A nineteen-year-old Demon Slayer found the three children the next morning on their way to seek help and sent them to Mount Sagiri where Tanjirō and Naruto would train under Sakonji Urokodaki to become Demon Slayers themselves.
For two years the boys trained hard while Nezuko had fallen into a coma. Eventually Urokodaki became satisfied with their training and sent them to the Final Selection to see if they were truly ready to become Demon Slayers. For seven days they survived a demon-infested mountain. In the end, they descended from Mount Fujikasane, joining three others who also survived the test.
Upon their return to Mount Sagiri, they found that Nezuko had awoken and only a couple weeks later the boys received their nichirin before being sent on their first mission as Demon Slayers.
Tanjirō, Nezuko and Naruto completed mission-after-mission together, their goal to turn Nezuko back into a human as well as kill Muzan. They enlisted the help of two kindhearted-demons who shared their sentiments against the Original Demon, Tamayo the Liberated Demon (or "Tamayo the Fugitive" as other demons called her) and her assistant Yushiro who would help them make a cure for Nezuko. Along the way, they were joined in their missions by a boy their age who was the literal definition of a wild child (or a feral child since he technically was), Inosuke Hashibira.
That essentially summed up the last several months since officially becoming Demon Slayers, and most recently the Kamado siblings had gone to the Swordsmith Village. This was where the special nichirin used by the Demon Slayer Corps were crafted by mask-wearing swordsmiths.
Neither Naruto or Inosuke had gone with the siblings because, out of the three Demon Slayers during their recent mission in Yoshiwara, only the elder Kamado sibling had once again broken his nichirin blade while the younger Kamado sibling almost always accompanied her big brother.
This recent mission was over now and the Kamado siblings along with two of the Hashira were on their way back, however news of what had happened reached Headquarters before they did.
Two Upper Rank Kizuki, in particular Upper Rank Four and Upper Rank Five, had attacked the Swordsmith Village and threatened the very means of which the special color-changing katana used by the Demon Slayer Corps were produced. Fortunately, both Upper Moons were slain.
In the process, the two Hashira who had happened to be there at the same time as the Kamado siblings...the Mist Hashira Muichirō Tokitō and the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji... each unlocked their Demon Slayer mark just as the elder Kamado sibling and the Uzumaki had done during the mission in Yoshiwara. But probably what was the most interesting result of the mission was that the younger Kamado sibling became the first and only known demon to be immune to sunlight. It was sure to draw the attention of Muzan, who had long been seeking a way to conquer the sun.
Meanwhile at the Butterfly Mansion, where the "Kamaboko Squad" had been based since March at least, Naruto and Inosuke awaited the return of their friends. However, while not on a mission, neither were taking a rest. The latter was always working hard to become as strong or stronger than Tanjirō while the former was working on perfecting his Total Concentration Breathing forms.
Urokodaki was indeed the best to learn Water Breathing from, but one could always improve.
"Caw! Caw!" The voice of a certain crow pierced the air and Naruto lowered his nichirin, looking up to see a Kasugai Crow by the name of Matsuemon Tennōji fly overhead. Upon passing Final Selection, each Demon Slayer was given a Kasugai Crow which would serve as a messenger.
This was the Kasugai Crow assigned to Tanjirō and was very intelligent, having apparently given himself his name as well as seeming to have a very large ego. The Kasugai Crow that had been assigned to Naruto, meanwhile, was the sweetest little thing. His bird was instead a sparrow that was possibly a better fit for a certain scared boy in the Final Selection who Naruto tried to save.
Tanjirō and Naruto had gotten separated during the first day of the test, which had been when the latter had met the scared boy named Zenitsu Agatsuma. Naruto had helped Zenitsu as best as he could, however then the Hand Demon showed up. It ate Zenitsu and chased Naruto to where Tanjirō was, the two students of Urokodaki reuniting and defeating the revenge-seeking demon.
Ukogi, that was the name of Naruto's Kasugai Crow, the only sparrow to have passed the test to become a Kasugai Crow. Like many members of the Corps, he was a demon-caused orphan.
"They have returned," Matsuemon announced. "Tanjirō, Muichirō and Mitsuri have returned!"
Naruto smiled as he looked to see Tanjirō and Nezuko walking towards him, the Hashira having likely gone back to each of their own residences. While he was happy to see his friends, he was in awe at seeing Nezuko under direct sunlight. Was it possible that she'd always been immune?
Regardless, it was so good to see the Kamado siblings again alive and well.
"Tanjirō, Nezuko, you're back," Naruto exclaimed as he sheathed his nichirin and approached.
"Na...Naruto!" Nezuko smiled and ran to the red-haired Demon Slayer, surprising him since it had been over two years since he had last heard her voice and he hadn't really expected to hear Nezuko speak again, at least not so soon. When Nezuko reached Naruto, she hugged the boy.
Naruto blushed when she hugged him, the Uzumaki having feelings of love for the Kamado girl.
It had been when Nezuko awoke from her two-year-long coma earlier back in January when the Uzumaki boy realized that he had feelings for her. However, Naruto had felt nervous about telling her how he felt, not wanting to risk hurting Nezuko in any way due to her uncertain mental state.
Naruto had decided instead that, if Nezuko did indeed have any feelings for him in return, that he would let her make the first move...a decision that Tanjirō was very much in agreement with. As time passed, Nezuko had given hints here-and-there that she possibly did, but nothing definitive.
Anyways, Naruto was unsurprised by her hug since she usually greeted him or Tanjirō with one.
"Nezuko, you're back," Naruto said as he hugged Nezuko. "And you can be in sunlight now!"
"Yeah...it...it's won...wonderful...nice and warm," the younger Kamado sibling agreed.
After a moment, she frowned as she took a close look at Naruto's face. She then stepped back, reaching to gently touch where there used to be three whisker-like markings on his left cheek. It was the same on the right side of the face, the markings that used to be there were simply gone.
"They...they're gone," Nezuko remarked as she lowered her hand. "Wh...why?"
"Miss Tamayo finished a prototype of the cure," Naruto explained as Tanjirō walked over to join the pair. "And because of...well, you know...she wanted to use me as a test subject for the cure."
"So the Nine-Tails is gone," Tanjirō asked Naruto, who nodded. The Nine-Tailed Fox...it had been a demon-like spirit who almost fifteen-years-ago attacked the place from which Naruto originally came...had been somehow "sealed" into the boy the very night he was born. The Fox had been why Naruto had run away from his original home, and it was what had saved him from Muzan.
That night, the Uzumaki would have either died or become a demon if it were not for the Fox, but Muzan's blood had caused a disruption in the "seal" that prevented him from being able to utilize the...special abilities...which Naruto had acquired from his hometown, less he wanted to become a demon. Instead, he spent the last few years in a middle ground between human and demon...
...until now, that is, thanks to Tamayo. And soon enough, Nezuko would become human again.
"So the cure is finished," Tanjirō realized happily. "That's really great news!"
"Mm-hmm," Nezuko agreed with a nod. "I...I'm happy."
"I'm glad you are," Naruto told the Kamado girl.
"Na...ruto...I need...tell you some...something," Nezuko then said.
"Eh? What's that," Naruto asked her.
Tanjirō gave a knowing smile, having a good feeling about what his sister wanted to tell Naruto.
"I'm going to go see Kanao," Tanjirō told them as he walked off, letting them have this moment.
"Alright, see ya," Naruto replied before turning his attention back to Nezuko. "So, what's up?"
"I...I know...you really like me," Nezuko started to say, surprising the boy and making him blush.
"Y-you do," Naruto asked Nezuko, who nodded. "Was I really that obvious?"
"I-it...it's fine," Nezuko assured Naruto. "But I...I really...like you, too...Naruto."
The young demon hugged the young Demon Slayer again, and the latter also hugged the former.
"Wow, that's really wonderful to here," Naruto remarked. "I...I wasn't sure, so...I decided to wait."
"Hmm," Nezuko said, nuzzling into him a little. She had made the first move, just as Naruto had decided to wait for. The Uzumaki wasn't sure where their relationship would go initially, however he again decided to let her lead. Regardless, he was happy living here and now in this moment.